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Guide to Cowlitz County Washington ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1861, when the county was formed.

Mount St. Helens, Cowlitz County, Washington, United States Forest Service.

Censuses indexed by societies or groups in the area may be more accurate, due to familiarity with local surnames.

Church Records

The information church records provide depends upon the church practices and the record keepers. Records may include names, ages, and dates of events such as baptism, marriage, or burial. See Washington Church Records.

Church records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) for Cowlitz County, Washington Genealogy are listed in the FamilySearch catalog. (Press space bar to select town.)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

LDS Ward and Branch Records

Kelso

Lutheran

Records of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Castle Rock, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Court Records

Your ancestors may be found in court records as defendants, plaintiffs, witnesses, or jurors. Court records can clarify family relationships, places of residence, occupations, and family history. See Washington Court Records for courts used through the years.

Cowlitz Frontier Justice. Part of "Frontier Justice’’: Guide to the Court Records of Washington Territory, 1853-1889 at Washington State Digital Archives. (Free Index, no images)

The court procedures of Frontier Justice touch nearly all pioneers of the Washington Territory. The index has many abstracts that provide names and what is happening in disputes, settlements in civil and criminal cases as well as probate, equity and admiralty cases.

Guardianship

History

Local histories for Cowlitz County, Washington Genealogy may include biographies, history of churches, schools, local government with names of officials, military information, and more. See Washington Local Histories.

History Timeline

Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wilma, David. Cowlitz County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7482.

The original inhabitants of the lands drained by the Cowlitz River were variously called The Cawalitz, Cow-a-lidsk, Cowalitsk, Cow-e-lis-kee, Cowelits, Cowlitch, Co-litsick, Kawelitsk, Cowalitsk, Kowlitz, Kowlitz.

1792 - The first Europeans to visit the county were British seafarers.

1805 - November 5, Lewis and Clark camped at the mouth of the Kalama River, under orders from President Thomas Jefferson.

1828 - The first white man credited with ascending the Cowlitz River was HBC Factor George Simpson.

1820s (late)- 1830s - The Cowlitz became an important artery for trappers and for communication with Fort Vancouver subposts at Cowlitz Farms and Nisqually Farms.

1847 - December 25, The first American to settle in the future Cowlitz County was Scotsman Peter W. Crawford (1822-1889), who took a Donation Claim on the left bank of the Cowlitz near the mouth of the Coweeman.

Land and Property

Land records (especially deeds) may give the name of a spouse, heirs, and witnesses, who may be relatives or in-laws.

County deeds, mortgages, and leases show transfers from person to person. See also Court Records for actions involving real estate. See Washington Land for government-to-person records.

County Recorder's Office: check deeds, file mining claims, get assistance in finding ownership of a particular property, and obtain copies of county plat maps. This office has county plat records dating back to 1878, prior records having been destroyed in a fire.

Maps

This map highlights the county within the state of Washington.
The map soon will have inter-active links.

Migration

Most residents came to Washington from other states or crossed the border from Canada. (See Seattle Passenger Lists for those who came from other countries.) Although few other migration records exist, try:

Naturalization and Citizenship

Declarations of Intent before 1906 often include the nation of origin, his* foreign and "Americanized" names, residence, and date of arrival. See Washington Naturalization and Citizenship for more information. *Women were not naturalized until 1922 in the United States.

The records include petitions, declarations of intention, certificates, depositions and final papers.

Newspapers

Small town newspapers provide historical content and contain obituaries, birth or death notices, legal notices, and community news, such as visits to or from out-of-town relatives. See Washington Newspapers for tips, resources, and details.

Do a search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog. To select a county in Washington, add a comma, slide way down to the county list, then click Search. (Almost every state seems to have a Washington County)

Periodicals

Probate Records

Probate records identify heirs of the decedents, give the (approximate) death dates, and provide specifics about property holdings. The records were kept by the county judge.

These include wills, inheritance records, dockets, and other documents regarding property and estates of individuals who have died. See also Court Records for civil actions involving estates. Also see Washington Probate Records.

Will index 1882-1914 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)

School Records

Includes collections of various records: vital, probate, school, tax, naturalization and other records.

School Registers are arranged by grade and gives names, ages, attendance.

School Censuses include names, birth dates, parents or guardians.

Taxation

Washington tax records complement land records and can supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information, see the wiki page Washington Taxation.

Birth

Birth Records reveal

Yes or Maybe ⇒

Y

M

Name of Child

Birth Date and Place

Parent's Names

Mother's Maiden Name

Parent's Ages

Parents' State or Country of Birth

Name of Doctor or Midwife

In 1891, coroners, physicians, and midwives were to "return" births and deaths to the county auditor. Many went unrecorded. In 1907, the State Center for Health Statistics assumed this responsibility.[5]

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes. See Family History Centers for more information. Search the online FHC directory for a nearby family history center.

Libraries

Local public libraries—even smaller ones—often have Unique Genealogical Collections that are not online for the area they serve. Many libraries in Washington have an area dedicated to local history and genealogy.

A library's Unique Collections may include card indexes of local records, newspapers, scrapbooks, genealogy papers, files of a genealogical or historical society, and other unpublished manuscripts.